Court orders Argentina's YPF to disclose contract with Chevron

BUENOS AIRES Dec 30 (Reuters) - An Argentine judge on
Tuesday ordered the state-controlled energy firm YPF to fully
disclose details of its contract with Chevron Corp
sought by an opposition lawmaker amid allegations of secret
clauses in the agreement.

Chevron in 2013 signed a deal to explore the barely tapped
Vaca Muerta shale formation, an accord that marked the largest
foreign investment in Argentina's energy sector since the
government seized Spanish giant Repsol's controlling stake in
YPF.

Opposition legislators have said they believe the secret
clauses hand concessions to Chevron that undermine national
interests.

YPF said it would appeal the ruling and that it met all
obligations required of a company listed in Buenos Aires and New
York.

Covering an area the size of Belgium, Vaca Muerta is one of
the world' largest shale oil and gas formations.

Argentina passed a new law in October offering sweeteners to
explorers to attract the estimated $200 billion needed to
exploit the non-conventional resource.

To date, Chevron and YPF have announced joint investments
totaling $2.8 billion, but that figure could reach as much as
$15 billion under the terms of the accord.
(Reporting by Eliana Raszewski; Editing by Richard Lough and
Grant McCool)